February 24, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Aditi Sangal, Meg Wagner, Adrienne Vogt, Melissa Macaya, Rob Picheta, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Ed Upright, Maureen Chowdhury and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 8:06 a.m. ET, February 25, 2022
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3:48 p.m. ET, February 24, 2022

Authorities order lights out across Lviv, Ukraine, citing security concerns

From CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi in Lviv, Ukraine

Authorities in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv have ordered a city-wide lights out as a “preventative” security measure, less than a day after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country. 

All street and building lighting is to be switched off at 11 p.m. local time (4 p.m. ET), a Facebook post by the Lviv regional authority said. It instructed households to follow the order, and asked people not to leave their homes, with the exception of emergency cases. 

“Please note that such actions are not related to power supply problems,” the Facebook post said. “It will be done to take preventive measures for our security.” 

Lviv hosts a number of embassies and consulates which relocated from Kyiv in recent weeks because of the relative safety of the western Ukrainian city.

On Thursday morning, Russia attacked three locations in the region, activating air raid sirens in the city for the first time since World War II. 

3:37 p.m. ET, February 24, 2022

Canadian prime minister condemns Russia's attack on Ukraine and announces new sanctions

From CNN’s Paradise Afshar

(Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
(Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during a briefing Thursday afternoon and announced a new set of sanctions. 

“Canada is unequivocal in our condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on the sovereign, democratic state of Ukraine,” he said. “President Putin’s brazen disregard for international law, democracy, and human life are a massive threat to security and peace around the world.” 

Trudeau said Canada is imposing “severe sanctions” that target 58 individuals and entities, including members of the Russian elite and their family members.

“We will also sanction members of the Russian security council, including the defense minister, the finance minister, and the justice minister,” Trudeau said. “In addition, effective immediately, we are ceasing all export permits for Russia and canceling existing permits. These sanctions are wide-reaching. They will impose severe costs on complicit Russian elites, and they will limit President Putin’s ability to continue funding this unjustified invasion.” 

In his address, Trudeau also called Putin’s actions “the greatest threat to European stability since World War II,” and said he has been in contact with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“I told him that we are announcing strong action today and continue to stand with him and with the Ukrainian people,” Trudeau said. 

Earlier Thursday morning, Trudeau met with Canada’s G7 partners to coordinate a response to the invasion. He said the Canadian government is also working closely with NATO and other allies. 

“Together, we have made clear that Russian violence, aggression and violation of international law will not go unpunished,” Trudeau said. “We stand united and steadfast in our support of Ukraine’s sovereignty, and we stand in solidarity with [the] Ukrainian people’s right to decide their own future in a free and democratic state.” 

Trudeau called on Putin to stop all “hostile actions” against Ukraine and withdraw all military and proxy forces from the country. 

“And while the eyes of the world are on leaders, we can never lose sight of the human cost of conflict,” he said. “Innocent people, including children, are now facing violence and chaos. In these dark hours, Canada’s message to Ukraine is this: You are not alone. We are standing with you.”

3:55 p.m. ET, February 24, 2022

Crowds gather in central Paris in support of Ukraine

From CNN’s Xiaofei Xu and Anaëlle Jonah in Paris

Protesters attend a demonstration at Place de la République in Paris on February 24.
Protesters attend a demonstration at Place de la République in Paris on February 24. (Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images)

Crowds gathered at Place de la République in central Paris on Thursday evening in a show of support for Ukraine, with many carrying the Ukrainian flag, according to CNN's team in Paris. 

The rally was one of two organized on Thursday to show support for Ukraine, including a protest staged in front of the Russian Embassy in Paris.

Members of the crowd could be heard chanting “sanctions against Russia.”

Some Ukrainian expatriates living in France were also present at the rally.

Slava – a Ukrainian national who declined to give his last name for safety reasons – told CNN, “I am here to support my country.”

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly characterized the quoted individual.

4:23 p.m. ET, February 24, 2022

Why some world leaders are considering removing Russia from a banking system known as SWIFT

From CNN's Charles Riley

European Union leaders have been considering what some are calling the "nuclear option" of removing Russia from SWIFT, a high security network that connect thousands of financial institutions around the world, following the invasion of Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden said Thursday that removing Russia from SWIFT is not the direction the rest of Europe wants to go in at this moment, but noted that taking the nation out of the network is "always an option."

“The sanctions that we’ve proposed on all their banks are of equal consequence, maybe more consequence than SWIFT,” Biden said, referring to the latest round of sanctions he announced today.

The Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday urged the West to ban Russia from SWIFT in a tweet. Earlier on Thursday, CNN reported that the EU was undecided as to whether to cut Russia off from SWIFT and that EU nations were split over the decision.

But what is SWIFT, and what could it mean for Russia? The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication was founded in 1973 to replace the telex and is now used by over 11,000 financial institutions to send secure messages and payment orders. With no globally accepted alternative, it is essential plumbing for global finance.

Removing Russia from SWIFT would make it nearly impossible for financial institutions to send money in or out of the country, delivering a sudden shock to Russian companies and their foreign customers — especially buyers of oil and gas exports denominated in US dollars.

"The cutoff would terminate all international transactions, trigger currency volatility, and cause massive capital outflows," Maria Shagina, a visiting fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, wrote in a paper last year for Carnegie Moscow Center. Excluding Russia from SWIFT would cause its economy to shrink by 5%, former finance minister Alexei Kudrin estimated in 2014.

SWIFT is based in Belgium and governed by a board consisting of 25 people, including Eddie Astanin, chairman of the management board at Russia's Central Counterparty Clearing Centre. SWIFT, which describes itself as a "neutral utility," is incorporated under Belgian law and must comply with EU regulations.

What happens if Russia is removed? There is precedent for removing a country from SWIFT.

SWIFT unplugged Iranian banks in 2012 after they were sanctioned by the European Union over the country's nuclear program. Iran lost almost half of its oil export revenue and 30% of foreign trade following the disconnection, according to Shagina.

"SWIFT is a neutral global cooperative set up and operated for the collective benefit of its community," the organization said in a statement in January. "Any decision to impose sanctions on countries or individual entities rests solely with the competent government bodies and applicable legislators," it added.

It's not clear how much support there is among US allies for taking similar action against Russia. The United States and Germany have the most to lose if Russia is disconnected, because their banks are the most frequent SWIFT users to communicate with Russian banks, according to Shagina.

The European Central Bank has warned lenders with significant exposure to Russia to prepare for sanctions against Moscow, according to the Financial Times. ECB officials have also asked banks how they would respond to scenarios including a move to prevent Russian banks accessing SWIFT.

Read more about SWIFT here.

CNN's Kate Sullivan in Washington, DC, Niamh Kennedy in London and James Frater in Lviv contributed reporting to this post.

3:10 p.m. ET, February 24, 2022

Here's what the Russia sanctions Biden announced today will do — and who they will target

From CNN's Sam Fossum

US President Joe Biden said Thursday that the newly announced sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine will take some time to have their full impacts felt by Russia and its economy. 

"This is gonna take time. And we have to show resolve, so he knows what's coming. And so the people of Russia know what he's brought on them. That's what this is all about," Biden said. 

He added, "He's not going to say, 'Oh my God, these sanctions are coming. I'm going to stand down.' He's going to test the resolve of the West to see if we stay together and we will. We will and it will impose significant costs on him."

The President also said that the sanctions are critical for sending a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

"If we don't move against him now with these significant sanctions, he will be emboldened," Biden said. 

Here's a look at the unveiled sanctions and who they will target, according to the White House:  

  • Cut off Russia's largest financial institution, Sberbank, and 25 of its subsidiaries from the US financial system. Sberbank holds nearly one-third of the overall Russian banking sector's assets
  • "Full blocking sanctions" on VTB Bank, Russia second largest bank, and 20 of its subsidiaries. 
  • "Full blocking sanctions" on three other large Russia banks: Bank Otkritie, Sovcombank OJSC, and Novikombank. 
  • Cut off 13 major state-owned companies from raising money from the US market. The list include: Sberbank, AlfaBank, Credit Bank of Moscow, Gazprombank, Russian Agricultural Bank, Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Transneft, Rostelecom, RusHydro, Alrosa, Sovcomflot, and Russian Railways.
  • Sanctions on Russian elites and family members. The list: Sergei Ivanov (and his son, Sergei), Andrey Patrushev (and his son Nikolai), Igor Sechin (and his son Ivan), Andrey Puchkov, Yuriy Solviev (and two real estate companies he owns), Galina Ulyutina, and Alexander Vedyakhin.
  • Sanctions on 24 Belarusian people and companies. This includes "two significant Belarusian state-owned banks, nine defense firms, and seven regime-connected official and elites," according to the White House. 
  • Sanctions on the Russian military.
  • Sanctions on certain technological imports into Russia.  
3:06 p.m. ET, February 24, 2022

Russian military transport aircraft crashes near Ukraine, Russian state news agency reports

From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in Moscow

A Russian Antonov-26 military transport aircraft crashed in the Voronezh region, near Ukraine, while transporting equipment, the Russian Western Military District said in a statement on Thursday, according to RIA, a Russian state news agency.

“The crew died," the statement read, without clarifying how many were on board and saying the cause of the crash was “equipment failure.”

3:01 p.m. ET, February 24, 2022

Canada suspends embassy and consulate operations in Ukraine temporarily 

From CNN’s Paradise Afshar and Tanika Gray 

The Canadian minister of foreign affairs announced Thursday that the country will temporarily suspend embassy and consulate operations in Ukraine. 

��The situation in Ukraine has rapidly deteriorated and poses serious challenges. As a result, we are temporarily suspending operations at both our embassy and our consulate in Ukraine. Canadian personnel are now safely in Poland,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said in a statement. 

Joly said operations at the embassy and consulate will resume when “the security situation in Ukraine allows us to ensure the adequate delivery of services.” 

Consular services will remain available to Canadians in Ukraine. 

“The safety and security of all Canadians is our highest priority,” Joly said. “Canadians should continue to avoid all travel to Ukraine. We urge those currently in Ukraine to shelter in place unless it is safe for them to leave the country.” 

2:54 p.m. ET, February 24, 2022

US expands no-fly zone near Ukraine

From CNN's Pete Muntean

The US government is expanding the area near Ukraine where American pilots cannot fly. 

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is publishing an expanded notice to pilots that will “now cover the entire country of Ukraine, the entire country of Belarus and a western portion of Russia.”

Prior to this announcement, the FAA prohibited operations only in an eastern region of Ukraine – though the Ukrainian airspace was already closed and no US airlines operate flights to or from Ukraine. 

The FAA says it is putting out its own bulletin to pilots instead of relying on one from the Ukrainian government “given the circumstances.” The restrictions do not apply to military operations.    

2:52 p.m. ET, February 24, 2022

Ukraine official says at least 57 killed and 169 injured following attacks by Russian forces

From CNN’s Gul Tuysuz in Kyiv

There are 57 people who have died and 169 people have been injured – including both combat and non-combat injuries – following attacks by Russian forces, Ukraine’s Minister of Healthcare Viktor Lyashko said Thursday.

Speaking live on Ukraine’s 1+1 TV channel, Lyashko said hospitals and medical workers had also come under fire on Thursday – including in Avdiivka and Vuhledar in Donetsk – with casualties reported among medical workers.